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mCoSTe Facility

The multi-robot Coherent Structure Testbed (mCoSTe) is is an indoor laboratory experimental testbed that consists of a fleet of 10 micro-Autonomous Surface Vehicles (mASVs) and three experimental flow tanks: a Low Reynolds number (LoRe) Tank, a High Reynolds number (HiRe) Tank, and a Multi-Robot (MR) Tank. The mASVs are differential drive boats, approximately 10 cm in length currently equipped with wireless communications. We are currently working on integrating an onboard current flow sensor to each mASV. Localization for the mASVs is provided by an external motion capture system. The LoRe, HiRe, and MR Tanks are respectively 10 cm2 x 2 cm, 3600 cm2 x 30 cm, and 9 m2 x 1 m in size. Flow fields generated in each of these tanks are tracked particle imaging velocimetry (PIV). The MR Tank is designed to enable experimental validation of motion control and coordination strategies for a team of 5 – 10 mASVs, which are individually too large for the LoRe and HiRe tanks. The mCoSTe flow tanks are specifically designed to create both time-independent and time-varying flow fields that exhibit dynamic features similar to those observed in the ocean. The LoRe Tank is developed by Dr. Phil A. Yecko and there is one housed at Cooper Union and a second one at Montclair State University overseen by Dr. Eric Forgoston.